More shoppers turn to store brands
THE TREND: Economy-pinched shoppers who want to cut spending still need to buy groceries and household items, so they are increasingly trying lower-priced store brands.

Young people hit hard by unemployment
MELVILLE, N.Y. -- The employment rate among teenagers has fallen to its lowest on record, bucking some economists' expectations that young people would fare better in a downturn, says a Hofstra University expert.

90th birthday party
Theatus Smith Waters was recently honored on the occasion of her 90th birthday. The occasion was marked by a dinner party at Amici's Restaurant, hosted by her son and daughter-in-law, Gene and Judie Smith.

COA Activities
* Have some "Down Home Fun" Aug. 15 when the Coastal Community Center hosts an old fashioned barbecue dinner and square dance. Scheduled for 6-8:30 p.m., this is a great chance to dust off your dancing shoes and let caller Mike Akers show you what to do with them. Call 209-3700 for information.

School supply drive planned
To help area schools bridge the gap created by the current budget shortfall, the St. Johns County Education Foundation is sponsoring "Tools for Schools," a school supply drive.

Q & A
Q: What type of information will I need to complete my online application for retirement benefits?

Art
Have fun and a sense of accomplishment during a painting date at Cousart Studios, 64 Hypolita St. downtown St. Augustine.

Books
David Bodanis is known to a wide audience as an author of popular science books such as the highly acclaimed "E=mc²: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation and Electric Universe," which won the 2006 Royal Society Aventis Prize for Science Books.

Things to do
Friday, Aug. 1 -- Enchanted Evenings at the Dow: Step into the gates of the Dow Museum of Historic Houses for a variety of entertainment, guided tours and refreshments from 6:30 to 10 p.m.

Things to do
Friday, Aug. 1 -- Enchanted Evenings at the Dow: Step into the gates of the Dow Museum of Historic Houses for a variety of entertainment, guided tours and refreshments from 6:30 to 10 p.m.

St. Augustine's 443rd Birthday
Aug. 28: 5 to 9 p.m. -- Timucuans, Seminoles and other U.S. tribes that have been part of Florida's history will be represented, and an Indian Pow Wow will honor the Native American traditions that are a part of the city's history.

Life in a Nutshell: I want to vacation forever
How do you retire at 35 if you haven't won the lottery, hit it big in stocks or invented something incredibly cool that everyone in the world wants, like an iPhone or spray cheese in a can?

Animals attack in 'Hail to the Chimp' game
The video-game universe is bursting with cuddly animals. What happens, though, when animals attack? Someday, perhaps, we'll see a video game in which the beasts overthrow their human oppressors and take over the world. Until then, we can watch them beat up on each other.

Books
David Bodanis is known to a wide audience as an author of popular science books such as the highly acclaimed "E=mc²: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation and Electric Universe," which won the 2006 Royal Society Aventis Prize for Science Books.

St. Augustine's 443rd Birthday
Aug. 28: 5 to 9 p.m. -- Timucuans, Seminoles and other U.S. tribes that have been part of Florida's history will be represented, and an Indian Pow Wow will honor the Native American traditions that are a part of the city's history.

Life in a Nutshell: I want to vacation forever
How do you retire at 35 if you haven't won the lottery, hit it big in stocks or invented something incredibly cool that everyone in the world wants, like an iPhone or spray cheese in a can?

Snoop Dogg crew arrested
DALLAS -- A tour bus carrying hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg was pulled over and two people were arrested on marijuana possession charges Thursday a few hours before a concert, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety said.

Napa Valley winery aims to change the world
You've got to like a winery whose mission is to "make a positive impact on the world through wine." Of course, those would only be words without a commitment from the operators of Flora Springs Winery and Vineyards in California's Napa Valley.

Fashion show at Marsh Creek sure to sparkle
The monthly luncheon fashion shows continue at Marsh Creek Country Club under the direction of Lynn Anderson, fashion coordinator. Each month there is a theme and a featured boutique or specialty store.

Maxi dress proves comfy and pretty
NEW YORK -- Beautiful, gorgeous and fabulous are words no one has ever used to describe my usual weekend outfit. But those were some of the comments I got wearing a maxi dress on a recent Saturday.

Whose corner are you in?
RICHMOND, Va. -- Political T-shirts -- particularly those supporting presumed Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama -- are emerging in a big way this season, transformed from the uniform of campaign workers to a definitive statement of youthful, progressive cool.

Garden microcosm ruled by an anole
As a child, I made lists starting with the universe and going down to the smallest corners of my own world. At night, stars were guides to the macrocosm of a universe I could explore only in imagination. During the day, I explored microcosms in my yard.

It's heating up at FCTC
St. Augustine and our surrounding area are known for a rich agricultural heritage where various crops have supported a productive farming community for generations. Of these products, a small pepper stands out as our major contribution -- the datil.

Time to start fall gardening
August, one of the hottest months of the year, is here. It may seem odd, but now is the time to begin the winter or cool season garden.

Q & A
Q. I have a small area that is currently sodded. The grass is struggling there and I want to replace it with a ground cover, most likely Asiatic jasmine. Do I have to rip out all the grass?

Obesity surgery can be good choice
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I live with my niece. Now, at age 62, she weighs 297 pounds and is very swollen. She retains fluid. She has gone on many diets. None has helped. She takes off a little weight but then puts it back on, and she ends up weighing more. She cannot walk long distances. I pray you have some suggestion of what might help her. -- A.P.

Fat cat was abandoned in New Jersey
BLACKWOOD, N.J. -- A 44-pound cat found lumbering around New Jersey was abandoned by a woman who said her home was foreclosed, an animal shelter official said Thursday.

Little progress since bridge collapse
MINNEAPOLIS -- In the days and weeks following the horrific, rush-hour collapse of I-35W a year ago Friday afternoon, national and local politicians promised critical repairs would be made immediately to the nation's most problematic bridges.

NASA confirms discovery of water on Mars
WASHINGTON -- After years of proposing, theorizing and deducing that there is water on Mars -- at least in the form of ice -- NASA scientists said they have finally confirmed it, after the Phoenix lander detected traces of water vapor wafting off a scoop of Martian dirt, researchers said Thursday.

Exxon Mobil 2Q profit sets U.S. record
HOUSTON -- Exxon Mobil Corp. reported second-quarter earnings of $11.68 billion Thursday, the biggest profit from operations ever by any U.S. corporation, but the results were well short of Wall Street expectations and its shares slumped 3 percent.

Bryan reports his signs stolen
A candidate for a St. Johns County Commission seat has reported to the police that last week's tampering with his campaign signs was racially charged.

Maine library offers garden tools
TURNER, Maine -- Borrowers at the Turner Public Library can choose from a large selection of gardening books -- and more than a dozen hand tools to carry out their chosen projects.

2 die in plane crash
Two men were killed Thursday afternoon when their plane crashed in marshland shortly after it took off from the St. Augustine/St. Johns County Airport.

Child nearly drowns locally
A young child nearly drowned in a residential pool Thursday and was taken to Flagler Hospital, according to St. Johns County Fire Rescue.

Searching for used ordnance
SWITZERLAND -- Growing up on the St. Johns River, Lori Mazza remembers the sounds of airplanes roaring down the waterway on their bombing runs. Less than a quarter mile away from the childhood home she still occupies today, Navy bombers would take aim on targets at the site located on what was then Bombing Range Road.

Road Closures
The following lane closures are scheduled on St. Johns County road construction projects through Friday.

Q&A
What do you do if you come across ordnance at the former bombing site in Switzerland?

Gina Tabbone
Gina Tabbone, 92, of St. Augustine, died July 31, 2008, at Samantha Wilson Care Center at Bayview.

Joseph Gerard (Buddy) Shannon
Joseph Gerard (Buddy) Shannon died suddenly on July 30, 2008. A long-time Nassau (N.Y.) County resident, he retired to St. Augustine, Fla.

Letter: Don't let Amendment 5 fool you
Editor: Voters face more confusing amendments in November. One that has me concerned is Amendment 5 that will offer the taxpayer a 25 percent cut in property taxes. Who could vote against that?

No time for dithering
Another paradise day in our old river town and we linger over supper in the backyard and talk about the dry weather and bats (Do they eat three thousand mosquitoes per night? No, says the family biologist.) and cousin Bruce's truck farm besieged by suburban yards and of course Barack's audacious trip to Iraq and Europe, meanwhile the sun goes down and little candles come out and a fresh pot of green tea and nobody feels the urge to get up and go. We are taciturn people, but give us a paradise night, balmy, a slight breeze stirring, candles burning, and we are on the verge of vast intimate revelations -- "I became a writer as a way of drawing attention to myself. I admit it. It had nothing to do with truth and beauty. It always was about Me! Always!" -- and I realize it's my duty as host to say "Well ..." and stand up and start clearing the table, otherwise we might stay too long and say too much.

Letter: Better labelling needed for food
Editor: We have labels that tell us where our clothes, electronics, toys, dishes, and even our cars are made. So, why don't we have labels to know where our fruit, vegetables, and meat are from?

Libraries haven't missed a beat
When the St. Johns County Public Libraries went on a new schedule because of cutbacks in county revenue, officials worried about public reaction to changes in hours and days.

Letter: County variances easy to get
Editor: At the July 3 meeting of the St. Johns County Planning and Zoning Agency, it became apparent that the zoning variance procedure has become a mockery. Zoning variances have always served a legitimate role in addressing actual hardships imposed under current regulations. In this case the perceived and self-induced hardship was that the owners could not build their 43-foot, 6-inch wide house within the existing setbacks, which allowed for a 37-foot building width.

Letter: Charter debate reaffirms support
Editor: The League of Women Voters and The St. Augustine Record presented a debate on Charter Government on July 15. The thought, energy, and time that has gone into forming this proposed charter represents a countywide commitment, by a broad range of differing citizens, to improve the structure and function of our local government.

Clean the beaches; save sea turtles
Sea turtle mamas continue staking their claims nightly on St. Johns County beaches. They dig their nests, lay their eggs and in due time, hatchlings emerge and head to the ocean themselves. The rituals are seen during the nesting season, May to October.

Letter: Blames Democrats for high cost of gas
Editor: The Democrats are the reason for the price I am paying at the pump. It has been determined that the United States has more oil than the Middle East and that if we drill in all of those locations, the price of oil would come down. American Solutions took a petition that said, "Drill Here, Drill Now, and Pay Less to Capitol Hill" with 1.3 million signatures, and they said, "no." To the left, simple economics of supply and demand just is not true.

Police Report
The following was compiled from police reports collected from the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office (SJCSO), St. Augustine Police Department (SAPD) and St. Augustine Beach Police Department (SABPD):

Ordination at Bethel Church
Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, 222 Riberia St., was the setting July 20 for the ordination of Brian Thomas.

Episcopal Diocese partners with Prisoners of Christ
Speaking before the Commission on Prison and Related Ministry for the Episcopal Diocese of Florida on June 21, Bishop Samuel Johnson Howard announced a flagship partnership between the Episcopal Diocese of Florida and Prisoners of Christ, Inc. (POC), Jacksonville. This partnership will assist the spiritual and physical needs of those men being released from prison and will assist their families.

Green series continues at UU
"Economics and Ecology: Our Ethical Response" by guest presenter Parrish Jones is the topic at the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship at 5:30 p.m. Sunday. This is the fourth of the eight-program series "Living Green."

Local teenager to deliver shoe box gifts to Ecuador
Taking a break from summer jobs and pool parties, a select group of teens from across the country, including a St. Augustine High School senior, are gearing up to volunteer their time in South America during a 10-day trip to Ecuador with Samaritan's Purse Youth (SPY) teams.

Weekly services of supplication slated at St. Photios Chapel
Father Nikitas Theodosion, chaplain of St Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine, announces on behalf of His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios, president of the St. Photios Foundation and hierarch of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Atlanta, that weekly supplication services continue from noon to 12:45 p.m. today in the St Photios Greek Orthodox Chapel located in the historic Avero House at 41 St George St. in the colonial Spanish Quarter.

SAHS graduate is headed to medical school
A special celebration honoring Quinton Sparrow is planned from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Sunday in the human resource building of New St. James Missionary Baptist Church, Rodriguez Street.

About the Author
The first time that Charles R. Gallagher's Jr's book -- "Vatican Secret Diplomacy," appeared in print, it was as his doctoral dissertation. Then, the title of the dissertation was "Patriot Bishop."

National Kids Day is Sunday
National Kids Day, the American social phenomenon created by the 126-year-old national children's crisis charity KidsPeace to encourage adults to spend more meaningful time with the nation's children, will be observed Sunday.

Insurance still needed
Q: I sell life insurance for a living, and the other day a man told me he didn't need any kind of insurance because the Bible says God will take care of him and his family. Is he right? This was something new to me. -- Z.K.

Local bishop battled Nazis, Communists
Those older residents of St. Augustine who remember Joseph Patrick Hurley, sixth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine (1940-1967), will recall a 5 foot. 7 1/2 -inch giant of a man who, from his chancery on Cathedral Place, directed one of the greatest brick-and-mortar building programs in the history of the American church. Throughout a diocese that covered the entire state west of the Apalachicola River (in 1958 the 16 southernmost counties were formed into the Diocese of Miami) Hurley personally created 74 parishes and 100 schools, keeping the church's "physical plant" well ahead of the state's ascending population curve.

Angels rip Yankees
NEW YORK -- Torii Hunter, Vladimir Guerrero and Juan Rivera hit three-run homers, and Los Angeles Angels to its East Coast romp with a 12-6 victory over New York on Thursday night.

Moving Day
BOSTON -- Manny Ramirez is headed to Hollywood and Ken Griffey Jr. is bound for the Windy City.

Gators already have attention of 'Canes
CORAL GABLES -- That "one game at a time" cliche didn't exactly hold true in the Miami weight room this offseason. A glance at the Hurricanes' early schedule explains why.

Marve finally healthy enough to play
CORAL GABLES -- The last time Miami quarterback Robert Marve threw a pass in a real football game was more than 600 days ago, and it was a moment he'll never forget.

Local Watch
Ponte Vedra Beach resident Catherine O'Donnell shot a 1-over 73 during the opening round of the Optimist Championship on Thursday on the Haig at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens. O'Donnell, the defending champion, is two shots back. ...

IOC agenda: Censorship, doping, air pollution
BEIJING -- Media censorship, chronic air pollution, doping -- IOC president Jacques Rogge and top Olympic officials meeting this weekend have a lot to discuss in their final review before the Beijing Games.

History unkind to deadline deals
Most baseball executives would sooner admit reading romance novels than the sports pages, especially in the days leading up to the trading deadline. Usually, there's some justification.

Favre could get paid to stay off the field
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Brett Favre's reinstatement to the NFL was held up again Friday as the three-time MVP mulled getting paid not to play through a marketing deal with the Green Bay Packers that could resolve the standoff over his retirement.

New season, hope for Miami
CORAL GABLES -- There's an unwritten rule in most locker rooms, mandating that players never publicly point a blaming finger toward a teammate.

Golf: Singh just ahead of Mickelson
AKRON, Ohio -- Without the world's No. 1 player around, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson brought some star power Friday to the final World Golf Championship of the year.

Golf: Wie 1 over at PGA Tour event
AKRON, Ohio -- Retief Goosen, a late arrival and an early starter, took advantage of a Firestone South course that played long and short on his way to a 4-under 66 that gave him a one-shot lead Thursday in the Bridgestone Invitational.

Obama shifts on oil drilling
ORLANDO -- Barack Obama on Friday softened his long-standing opposition to expanded oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, expressing support for a fledgling energy plan that would allow oil rigs as close as 50 miles from Florida's west coast.

Man gets 1 year in threat case
MIAMI (AP) -- A Florida man who had a large arsenal of weapons will spend about eight months in federal prison for threatening on the Internet to stage a Virginia Tech-style massacre.

Waste line aimed for St. Johns River
JACKSONVILLE -- A pollution pipeline from a paper mill to the St. Johns River is headed for construction after years of delays and legal battles, and the state's environmental agency says it can't stop it.

Obama splurging on Fla. ads
MIAMI -- For those still wondering whether Democrat Barack Obama will battle for Florida, consider this: He has spent more money on advertising in the state than in any other over the last two months, for a total of $5 million.

Cards save Floridians $1M
ORLANDO (AP) -- Floridians have saved nearly $1 million through the state's discount drug card program that began in December.

No TV, video games for girls who trashed home
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Chick-fil-A restaurant founder S. Truett Cathy has decided two girls accused of causing $30,000 in damage to his home should be punished with a writing assignment instead of charges.

School bus crashes into tractor trailer
NEW SMYRNA BEACH (AP) -- Six students are being treated with minor injuries at a hospital in central Florida after their school bus crashed into a tractor trailer.

New school spending plan comes up for vote
TALLAHASSEE -- Conservatives and libertarians nationwide tout the "65 percent solution," an enticing, simple -- and some say deceptive -- school budgeting concept, as a way to increase classroom spending without raising taxes.

Transportation Secretary visiting Miami
MIAMI -- Speaking on the one year anniversary of the Minneapolis bridge collapse that killed 13 people, the nation's top transportation official said the nation's infrastructure is slowly improving.

McCain talks about vouchers
ORLANDO -- Sen. John McCain blasted his Democratic rival, Sen. Barack Obama, on Friday for his approaches to education and economic development, accusing him of ignoring the needs of African-Americans and their children.